Humidity

Humidity refers to the presence of water vapor in the air, and affects how warm the air feels to us. In general, warm temperatures feel even warmer as the humidity increases because, as it increases, the speed at which water evaporates at any given temperature decreases. When we are warm, our bodies depend on the evaporation of water from the surface of our skin for cooling; therefore high humidity slows down our body's natural cooling mechanism.

Measurements of humidity are recognized in several different ways. Weather reports commonly refer to relative humidity, given as a percentage and referring to the amount of moisture in the air relative to the air's capacity to hold moisture. One hundred percent relative humidity means that, at the current temperature, the air is at its saturation point. Dew point, expressed as the temperature at which the current moisture content would be at saturation, is the measure of absolute humidity. The hotter the air is, the more water it can contain. For example, at a temperature of 80°F with a dew point of 72°F, the relative humidity would be 77%. If the temperature drops to 72°F, with the dew point remaining the same, the relative humidity would rise to 100%.

Scientists have made some surprising discoveries of their own about water vapor, identifying it as a major greenhouse gas and a possible key cause of global warming. It has been observed that the warming created by other greenhouse gases can cause more water to evaporate, which in turn releases more vapor into the atmosphere. Like other greenhouse gases, water vapor can trap long-wave radiation in the Earth's atmosphere, thus contributing to an overall increase in global temperature.

Understanding HumidityUSA Today's Weather Basics page includes a concise explanation of humidity in addition to a glossary of humidity-related weather terms.

What is Humidity? The Dhavepatana Company, a weather instrumentation company located in Thailand, provides both an extended definition of humidity and a glossary of terms related to humidity.